Plastic Bags: A Death Sentence For All Marine Life

Disposable plastic shopping bags are certainly useful and convenient;
however, they have also greatly contributed to the massive decline in the
health of our planet in recent times. It is important for people to know that
plastic bags do not biodegrade, but rather photograde, breaking down into smaller
(yet just as toxic) parts. Plastic bags can also take up to 1,000 years to
break down! It is no wonder why plastic bags are among the 12 most common items
found during coastal cleanups.

In addition to the environment, plastic bags also
contaminate the food web when consumed by animals in the wild. Most of life on
Earth lives in the water, so it is quite alarming to discover that in some
parts of the ocean there is 46 times more plastic than food available for
marine life. Many marine animals, such as sea turtles, feed on jellyfish;
sadly, jellyfish are often indistinguishable from plastic bags in the water. The
autopsies of many animals, especially marine animals, in recent years have resulted
in some horrific findings. One autopsy of a beached whale discovered 20 square
feet of disposable plastic bags in its stomach; many similar autopsies of
animals have occurred in recent times.

So, what can people do in their day-to-day lives to help
combat the damaging result of plastic bag overuse? People can start by
spreading information about the dangers of plastic bags to those around them.
People should not be afraid to not only refuse plastic bags at the grocery
store checkout, but also explain their reasons for doing so. The most obvious
action people can take is to commit to using reusable shopping bags. They might
be slightly more inconvenient than their dangerous, disposable counterpart;
however, inconvenience is truly a gross and pitiful argument against doing all
we can to save our planet.